Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Now that the government has backed down on its shameful attempt to hold 1,700 scientists and their work hostage for its own political purposes, will the Prime Minister now back down on his plans for $100,000 university degrees?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are no such plans. Our plan is to liberate our great universities to be as good as they possibly can be. That is our plan.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There will be silence on my left!

Ms Plibersek interjecting—

And that includes the member for Sydney.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Our plan is to give the universities of Australia the freedom that John Dawkins thinks they should have, the freedom that Peter Beattie thinks they should have, the freedom that Maxine McKew thinks they should have. That is our plan. Our plan is to make the universities of Australia even better.

I am proud of Australia's universities. I think it is good that we have just one, the University of Melbourne, in the world's top 50; I want to see us get at least two in the top 20. That is my ambition. I want our great universities to be even better, and the best way to bring that about is to liberate them from the shackles of Canberra bureaucracy. That is the best way to bring it about.

I say to the students of Australia that they will continue to have access to universities. Without spending a dollar up-front, they will continue to have access to universities, with the vast majority of the costs covered by the taxpayer. This is a good proposal. John Dawkins thinks it is a good proposal, Peter Beattie thinks it is a good proposal, Maxine McKew thinks it is a good proposal. Gareth Evans—not someone who I normally reference in this House—thinks it is a good proposal. The only person who does not is good old 'Dr Negative' over there, the person who does not have any serious ideas about anything other than thinking that everybody should be somebody. Well, if you want people to be somebody, send them to good universities, and that is what there will be under the policies of this government.